Wrench.



No. 760,963. PATENTED MAY 24, 1904.

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WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED 00124, 1903. no MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 24, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,963, dated May 24, 1904.

Application filed October 24, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. COOPER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny city, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in wrenches or monkeywrenches of that typein which the sliding jaw may be quickly adjusted and locked upon the interrupted screw-threaded portion of the less expensive to manufacture.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended. claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved wrench. 'Flg. 2 1s an edge vlew of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view. Figs. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views taken on the line :10 w of Fig. 3, showing the parts in their locked and unlocked positions. Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a side elevation and a longitudinal section of the locking-nut. Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views of the adjusting-nut. Fig. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the spring-catch for automatically locking the locking-nut.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes a wrench bar or shank having at one end a fixed jaw 2 of usual form and at its opposite' end a handle or grip 3, which may be of any desired construction. The intermediate portion of the shank from the handle to within a short distance of the fixed jaw is formed with screw-threads 4, which are provided on two sides onlyt0 wit, the top and the bottomleaving the lateral faces of the shank plain, as shown at 5. The portions of the Serial No. 178,316. (No model.)v

screw-threads immediately adjacent to one of the flat faces of the shank are pointed or tapered, as at6, for a purpose hereinafter explained. Slidably mounted on thecentral portion of the shank is a movable jaw 7 of the usual form, which is locked and adjusted upon the shank by means of a locking nut or sleeve 8 and an adjusting nut or sleeve 9, which nuts or sleeves are carried by said movable jaw. The locking-nut 8 is in the form of a tubular sleeve comprising a milled body portion 10, having a reduced portion 11 at one end. The bore or "interior of the portion 10 is formed at diametrically opposite points with quarter-sections of screw-threads 12 of the same pitch as the screw-threads 4 on the shank with which they coact. Each section of the threads 12 is of the same width as the thread-sections on the top and bottom of the shank and of slightly less width than a quarter of the inner circumference of said portion 10, so that when the nut 8 is turned to have the threads 1 and 12 in engagement with each other the nut will be locked against longitudinal movement on the shank, and when the same is turned so the said threads are not engaged with each other that is, when the threads 12 are opposite the blank or flat faces 5 of the shankthe nut 8 may be slid longitudinally in either direction to adjust the movable jaw. Along one side or edge of each of the screw-thread sections 12 is a longitudinal stop-rib 13, which limits -"the degree of rotation of the nut so the operator can readily tell when the nut is completely locked or unlocked, or, in other words, when the threads are fully engaged with or disengaged from the threads 4:. The portions of the threads 12 immediately adjacent to their opposite edge or side are pointed or tapered,

as at 14:, to coact with the tapered portions 6 of the threads 4:, and thus permit said threads 4: and 12 to readily engage each other. The

reduced portion 11 of the nut 8 is externally which is internally screw-threaded, as at 16,

to correspond with the threads with which they are engaged. The outer surface or periphery of the nut is milled, and adjacent to one of its ends is an annular groove 17, which forms an annular flange or rib 18. By the engagement of said groove and flange with a similar flange and groove formed internally on a tubular portion or stem 19 on the movable jaw 7 the said nut has a swiveled connection with the movable jaw to permit said nut to be rotated.

In order to automatically lock the lockingnut 8 against casual rotation when in either its longitudinally locked or unlocked position, I provide a spring-catch 20, which is secured at 21 upon its outer end and comprises a point or hook 22 and a finger-piece 23. When the nut is being rotated in either direction, the hook 22 slides over the screw-threads 12; but when the nut is turned to the limit of its movement in either direction said hook will spring.

down and engage either of the flat faces 5 of the shank to prevent casual rotation of the nut. By elevating the finger-piece 23 the hook may be readily disengaged from the flat faces of the shank to free the nut.

The operation of my invention is as follows: When the parts are assembled andin the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the springcatch is released and the nut 8 given a quarter-revolution on the shank to unlock the movable jaw from the latter, as seen in Fig.

1 '5. The said jaw and its attached nuts may be moved longitudinally to adjust the jaw 7 toward or from the fixed jaw 2, as desired. By giving the nut another quarter-revolution, but in the opposite direction, the engagement of the threads 4 and 12 will lock said nut against longitudinal movement and the spring-catch 20 will automatically lock the said nut against casual rotation, as previously explained. Owing to the direction of the screw-threads 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the nut 8 as it is turned to its locked position will tend to. move thejaw 7 away from the jaw 2, thus permitting the nut to be turned until it is completely locked or until the stoprib l3 limits its further rotation. By screwing the adjusting-nut 9 upon the reduced threaded portion 11 of the nut 8 the jaw 7 may be moved toward the jaw 2 to adjust the same more accurately. In other devices using an interrupted, thread and a similar locking-nut and in which the locking movement of the nut tends to close the jaws of the wrench it frequently happens that the threads on the nut do not properly engage the threads on the shank, owing to the object between the jaws limiting their movement. Hence the lock is materially weakened by only a partial engagement of the screw-threads with each other. In my device this is entirely overcome. Owing to the threads 15 and 16 being of less pitch and in the reverse direction to the threads 12 and 14, the rotation of the nut 9 upon the nut 8 after the same has been locked against both longitudinal and rotary motion will readily and accurately adjust the jaw 7 upon the object engaged by the wrench.-

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention-will be readily understood without departing from the principle of sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details or construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wrench, the combination of a wrench bar or shank having interrupted screw-threads and a fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted upon said shank, a locking nut or sleeve having internal interrupted screw-threads to coact with the threads upon said shank and external screw-threads of the reverse direction to said internal threads, and an internally-screw-threaded adjusting nut or sleeve upon the external threads of the locking-nut and having a swiveled connection with said movable jaw, substantially as described.

i 2. In a wrench, the combination of a wrench bar or shank having interrupted screw-threads of relatively high pitch and a fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted upon said shank, a locking nut or sleeve having internal interrupted screw-threads to coact with the threads upon said shank and external screw-threads of relatively low pitch and. of the reverse direction to saidinternal threads, and an internally-screw-threaded adjusting nut or sleeve upon the external threads of the locking-nut and having a swiveled connection with said movable jaw, substantially as described.

3. In awrench, the combination of a wrench bar or shank having interrupted screw-threads and a fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted upon said shank, a locking nut or sleeve rotatably mounted upon said sleeve and having internal interrupted screw-threads to co act with the threads upon-said shank, stops formed upon said internal screw-threads to limit the rotary movement of said nut, and an adjusting nut or sleeve having an adjustable engagement with said locking-nut and a swiveled connection with said movable jaw, substantially as described.

4. In a wrench, the combination of a wrench bar or shank having interrupted screw-threads and a fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidably mounted upon said shank, a locking nut or sleeve rotatably mounted upon said sleeve and having internal interrupted screw-threads to coact with the threads upon said shank, stops formed upon said internal screw-threads to limit the rotary movement of said nut, and to this specification in the presence of two suban ad usting nut or sleeve having anad uStscribing Witnesses.

able engagement With said locking-nut, a sWiveled connection with said movable jaw, and GEORGE COOPER 5 means for preventing the casual rotation of Witnesses:

the locking-nut, substantially as described. J. S. LOHR,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name A. J. Soimo'rm 

